Haunted
by EvilRegalDuckling
Summary: "Who are you?" She asks. Although she's hidden by the shadows, you know she's studying your features. "No one important," you reply, because it's true. "Just someone who admires true beauty." She looks up at you again, and the hollowness of her eyes is heartbreaking. This girl is more broken than yourself, possibly.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I know I really should not be starting a new story, seeing as I already have a billion I'm writing currently, but this is an idea that just came to me a 3 AM when I was feeling super lonely and super depressed, and it just wouldn't leave me alone. **

**Although I won't be able to update as frequently, I hope to get at least 1 chapter up each week - _hopefully_. I have moved to a new school and I start Tuesday, and school will definitely be a huge factor in my writing. Seeing as I do most of my writing during the night, I will no longer be able to write until 4 in the morning. **

**But alas, here I am, and here is this story.**

**P.S. I got the beautiful cover art off of tumblr. Credit belongs to its respectful owner. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

You didn't know why you felt pity for her.

Maybe it was the almost palpable sadness in her eyes, or the way hurt emanated off of her in waves.

Maybe it was the way she plastered a fake smile onto her unfairly gorgeous face, not letting her depression shine through.

You didn't know why you wanted her.

Maybe it was the way she moved, with such poise and grace that only a queen would have.

Maybe it was the way her laugh echoed through the room, carrying the beautiful monotone sound in waves through your entire being, even if it was fake laughter.

It could be the way that she kept looking at you, as if she had seen you somewhere. As if she knew you.

Or maybe, it was the way she stared longingly at you as she danced with him, as if she would much rather be dancing with you.

You didn't know her, although you wanted to. You wanted to know everything about her, because she was so fascinating just to watch, and you couldn't imagine how intriguing she would be to talk to.

You don't know what pulled you towards her, but it's as if some magical force was bringing you two together.

And you don't know why you suddenly want to murder a complete stranger.

Maybe it's because of the way he looks at her, with enough hate and lust in his eyes to drown the entire realm.

Maybe it's because of the way she flinches, and careens away from his touch.

Maybe it's the way he whispers something into her ear, causing tears to well up in her dark, enticing eyes.

Maybe it's the way he dances with her, with his hand on her backside and his eyes on her chest.

Or maybe it's the way that just by seeing her reaction to him, you know he's the reason she's sad.

The reason she's broken.

He asks you for a dance and you kindly accept, taking the man's hand as he leads you onto the dance floor. He places his hand on your waist as you place yours on his shoulder, taking his other hand into your much smaller, smoother one.

As you dance around the room, you can't help your wandering eyes as they land on her again.

And she's looking at you, too.

You stare into her dark, hollow eyes for what seems like forever, before the man she's with leans down and whispers something into her ear, cupping her backside roughly.

When she looks at you, pleading, you break and you know what he's said to her has frightened her.

She's scared, and you can't do anything about it.

She's dancing with him and you're dancing with this unknown man, and it's only then do you take the time to really study her.

Her dress is an elegant dark maroon, with black lace and a flowing train. The diamond necklace around her neck is enough to tell you that she's of royalty, as if you couldn't already tell.

Her hair is done up flawlessly, a few strands falling down in curls on the sides of her face.

The man she's with spins her, pulling her roughly into him and kissing her neck.

You cringe at the look on her face, and also because this is supposed to be an elegant ball, not a royal sex club.

The man you're dancing with looks at you and furrows his eyebrows, studying the worried look on your face.

"Are you alright, love?" He asks, and his deep accent is surprisingly comforting.

"I'm fine," you reply.

"You just seem...distracted." You look up at him and smile reassuringly.

"I'm fine," you say again.

He studies you intently for a few more seconds before finally turning away, and you let out a breath of relief.

You search the room and see her nowhere in sight. You suddenly feel panicked and worried and you don't know what to do and-

And then you see her.

She's in the hallway near the edge of the ballroom, and the man is with her. She is crying and he is roughly groping her breasts, which are dramatically pushed up and out of her dress.

She is letting him touch her and harass her, and you feel sad and helpless.

She looks so broken and so scared that it physically breaks you, and you just want to hold her.

And suddenly the man is gone, leaving her crying in the hallway.

"I-I need to go somewhere," you say suddenly, pulling away from your dance partner.

"Are you alright?" He asks.

"Yes, I just need to talk to someone." You smile tightly, and nearly run away in your haste to get to her.

You find her leaning against the wall, and the sounds coming from her mouth are the most heart wrenching sobs you have ever heard in your life.

You take a step closer to her and she looks up, sniffling and wiping angrily at her tears. Once she realizes who you are, she furrows her eyebrows.

"Who _are_ you?" She asks. Although she's hidden by the shadows, you know she's studying your features.

"No one important," you reply, because it's true.

"Just someone who admires true beauty."

She looks up at you again, and the hollowness of her eyes is heartbreaking. This girl is more broken than yourself, possibly.

"You think I'm beautiful?" She asks, and her voice is quiet over the sounds of the music and the people chattering in the next room.

"Yes," you reply. "Very much so."

"You don't even know me," she sniffles, standing up straight. "Not all of me is beautiful, you know."

"But I want to know you. The outside is beautiful, and I'm sure the inside is beautiful, as well." You take another step towards her. "Did he hurt you?"

She shakes her head.

"Are you lying to me?"

She nods.

"What did he do?"

She laughs, and the sound is so sadistic that you actually think she's going to either break into sobs again or rip your heart out.

"It's not what he _did_. It's what he's _doing_." She sniffles. "Present tense."

"What is he...doing?"

"Why should I tell you?" She spits out. "I don't even know you."

"That's exactly why you should tell me," you offer. "Because you don't know me."

She seems to be studying your face before she steps out of the shadows, and your breath hitches in your throat as you are finally seeing her up close.

Her features are hauntingly beautiful, and the palpable sadness and the betrayal emanating off of her is enough to make you reach out and gently place your hand on her shoulder.

She flinches away from your touch and you pull your hand back as if she had burned you.

"Does he hit you?" you ask warily.

"Yes," she whispers quietly.

"Does he…" you halt your speech, because you can't bring yourself to say it.

"Does he force me to make love to him? Yes." She laughs sardonically. "If you can even call it that.

"Does he _force_ me to...to please him? Yes. Does he hurt me verbally and physically? Yes. Does he _force_ me to bend over and let him have his way with me? Yes. Does he _force_ me to keep my mouth shut by threatening to rape me harder than he did the night before? Yes. Does he _force_ me to let him have his way with me, all night every night until I can barely stand? Yes.

"But does he also treat me like a _queen_? Yes. Does he give me food, and a roof over my head? Yes. Does he want to give me children? Yes. Does he do random things for me out of the kindness of his heart? Yes. Did he save me from my mother? Yes. Did he save me from myself? Yes." She pauses there, looking at you with such fierceness in her eyes that you think she's going to slap you for making her admit all of these things, even though she chose to tell you herself.

"Does he love me?" Her voice cracks on her next word, "Yes."

"No, he doesn't," you reply. "He doesn't _love_ you. That's not _love_. That's lust, and that's not…what he's doing to you is not _human_. What's he's done to you, what he's _doing_ to you. It's not right. He's _not_ kind, so don't you dare think for a second that what he is doing is okay. He has a darkness in his soul that can never be diminished, not even by someone as kind-hearted as yourself. He is a lost cause."

"You don't know him," she spits out, pointing an accusing finger at you. "And you don't know me."

"No, I don't. But I've known someone like him. They're not helpable. They're not able to change, for anything." You pause, and sigh heavily as she looks away from you, refusing to meet your gaze. "And I know someone like you."

"Who?" She asks.

"Me." She finally looks at you then, and the look in her eyes is unreadable. "You can be helped. You can get better. You can leave him, and-"

"I can't!" She yells.

"You _can_," you insist. "I was changed, I was _fixed_. Yeah, I'm still broken. I always will be in some aspects of my life. But that's the thing about pain…it doesn't leave. You just have to make room for it."

"I can't leave him," she replies, tears soaking her already wet cheeks. "He loves me. He's the only person who has ever loved me."

"Does he tell you how beautiful you are?" She nods. "Every day?" She nods again. "Is it only while he's forcing you to have sex with him?" She averts her eyes, and you already know the answer.

"Does he _show_ you that he loves you? Does he tell you every single day how lucky he is to have you, and tell you just how much he loves you? Does he hold you when you cry, or make you laugh when you're sad? Does he make you feel as if you're the most beautiful, perfect woman in the world? Does he dismiss your flaws and love you for them anyways? Does he make you feel loved?" She refuses to meet your gaze yet again, and as tears well up in your eyes, you gently bring your fingertips to her chin, lifting it up and forcing her to look into your green eyes.

"Because I would."

She is looking at you as if you've suddenly said the most amazing, life-altering thing anyone could possibly say, and for a few seconds you believe you actually have.

Until she pulls away from your touch and she's crying again, and you wrap your arms around her and pull her into you.

She sobs into your shoulder and you just hold her - this perfect stranger - rubbing small circles on her back that you hope are somewhat comforting.

"He saved me from my mother. She had a darkness inside of her that no one could replace, not even me. She convinced me that everything she did, she did for me, because she only wanted me to be happy." She sniffled. "She was doing it for herself. I'm married to him because of her. She's a horrible lady and I hope I never have to see her again. But he saved me from her and I can't just leave him."

"Yes you can. I can help you."

She shakes her head. "He has a daughter. I can't leave the poor girl with him, she's only 12."

You sigh heavily and realize this is a much bigger problem than you had originally anticipated. To be honest, you didn't know what to expect. You certainly didn't expect the beautiful stranger to tell you everything and fall into your arms.

But you do expect her to pull away once again, which is what she does when you kiss the top of her head.

"No, stop. I don't deserve this kind of treatment."

Her words echo through your brain and you finally realize why she won't leave him.

"You don't love yourself." She looks up at you with a fire in her eyes and you continue, "You don't think you deserve any better than him. That's why you haven't left yet."

"You don't know what I think. You don't know what I _feel_," she spits out, and pulls away from you. You reach for her hand and she yanks it out of your reach, backing away.

"Stay away from me," she says. "Stay away from me and my husband."

"Why were you staring at me?" you blurt out.

"What?" she asks.

"In the ballroom. Why did you keep looking at me?"

"I wasn't," she defends. You take a step towards her, and she backs away, her back hitting the wall behind her with a soft thud.

"You were," you say. You take one last step towards her, and your lips are only inches from hers when you whisper, "I think it's because you want me as much as I want you."

Her breath is ghosting over your lips and you lean in, ever so slightly brushing your lips against hers. She gasps softly, and you press your body against hers fully, and she looks into your eyes as she lifts her hands up and places them on the wall beside her head.

You lean in and press your lips to hers, reveling in the softness of them. You raise your arms up and pin her wrists to the wall, careful to not be too rough so as to trigger her and cause her to pull away again.

She gasps softly when you pull your lips away from hers to kiss her jawline, her neck, stopping at her pulse point, nibbling and sucking gently. She moans and the sound is music to your ears. You want to hear it every day and be the cause of it.

And that scares you.

And now you're the one pulling away, and she's the one begging for you to touch her again.

"Please," she says, tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't stop." You want to run. You want to turn around and run as far as possible without ever looking back, and it saddens you when you realize that's something you've become quite good at.

But you don't.

You stay, and you kiss her again, more fiercely this time, and the unbridled passion you feel for this woman - this stranger - is so painfully arousing that you want to run.

But you don't, and you don't pull away either, because she is your anchor and she keeps you there.

You bite her bottom lip, eliciting a delicious moan out of her, and you lean your body fully against her as you press her wrists against the brick wall. She lets out a strangled cry and you think you've hurt her, so you pull away.

And the look in her eyes - her dark brown iris' nearly completely engulfed by the black of her pupils - tells you that you've hurt her by pulling away, not by continuing.

And you're about to kiss her again, but the sound of footsteps nearing stops you.

"Madame?" You pull away as if she had burned you, and both of your heads snap to the skinny man standing in the entrance to the ballroom. "Your husband is looking for you. He would like to go home."

"I'll be there shortly," she replies, then dismisses him, and as soon as she's gone she turns to you.

"You don't have to go," you say. "You can come with me."

"Sadly, I do have to go," she says, pulling away and smoothing out her flawless dress as she backs away towards the ballroom. "But we will meet again sometime soon, I promise."

She kisses you softly before turning around, and you grab her wrist before she can leave.

"Wait," you say. "What's your name?"

"Regina Mills."

Your jaw drops and your fingers loosen around her wrist enough for her to walk away.

And suddenly you're standing alone in the dark hallway of a castle you don't even know, thinking about a woman you just met.

And now everything starts to make sense to you.

The royalty, the elegant dress, the perfect hair, the expensive necklace, the older, gruff looking man.

She is an entire garden and you are just a little bug.

She is the entire beach and you are just a grain of sand.

She is a hurricane and you are just a drop of rain.

She is the queen and you are just a peasant.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the wait! I am hoping to update this at least once a week, but that may be a problem. I just moved and we don't get wifi until September 25, so I'll be using my data a lot. That will upset my dad so I have to be careful.**

**I will try and update as frequently as possible in the next few weeks, but if there's not a new chapter up next week, I promise I will get it as soon as possible. **

**School also has a lot to do with when I update. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

* * *

You step over a fallen tree as you near Town Square, stopping once you reach the growing crowd.

The news of the village is, the King and Queen are coming to make a big announcement. You never went to these sorts of things, because they were never important to you.

But _she_ was going to be there, and you weren't about to pass up the opportunity to see her.

It had been 2 weeks since you had first you met her, and you missed her every second of every passing day. You thought about her 24/7, and even dreamt about her.

And you never dreamed.

This woman had started a whole world of firsts for you, and you liked it. You had never liked change, but this time it was different.

You saw Regina on the large stage, sitting in the gorgeous gold throne with maroon fleece padding. The village wasn't on the rich side of things, but the community always went to extreme lengths to make the King and Queen feel welcome.

They're suck-ups. Every single one of them.

Regina is wringing her hands nervously and playing with the ring on her finger, spinning it as she scans the crowd with her hesitant eyes.

The King is sitting beside her in his own throne, and he stands up, beckoning her to the front of the stage with him as one of the royal servants clears his throat.

"May I have your attention." Everyone's chatter stopped and they all turned to look at the buff man on stage. "Bow before your King and Queen."

All the people of the village bowed - even you - and you aren't exactly one for traditions.

"The King and Queen have an announcement to make." King Leopold turns around and beckons a little brunette girl to stand in front of him, and you frown. That must be his daughter, the one Regina was talking about.

"The Queen and I have something we would like to tell you all," Leopold began. "So if you would all turn your attention to the Queen." As you make your way to the front of the crowd, you push past people who mutter curses and whisper how unmannerly you're being in front of the royal family, but you don't care.

"I-" Regina catches your eye as you slowly near the front, and you stop as you look up at her.

"Honey?" Leopold whispers, nudging her shoulder.

Tears well up in her eyes as she never breaks your gaze, and you suddenly become worried.

Are they...divorcing?

"I am pregnant."

The words hit you like a ton of bricks and you feel light-headed.

You break her gaze and turn around, running out of the cheering crowd.

You run until you can't hear any more "congratulations" or whoops, and then you keep running, jumping over the fallen tree before making your way into the woods without ever looking back.

You reach your cabin in the woods, and once safely inside, you slam the door behind you, running and grabbing a vase of flowers off of the table and throwing it on the ground. You scream when it shatters against the wooden floor, and suddenly can't see behind the blur of your tears as you tear apart your cabin.

* * *

You hop down from your horse, Charming, and tie the reins to the nearest tree. You bend down and form your hands into a bowl as you reach into the water and sip from your hands. You bring some to Charming and he eagerly drinks it, nudging your face once he's done.

You chuckle, petting his head as you say, "Hey, bud. Wish I had an apple for you."

You smile as he neighs, and kiss his nose.

"Sorry I scared you earlier," you say, even though he can't understand you. Although sometimes, you think he can. You do live in the _Enchanted Forest_, after all.

"I was just...angry." You sigh, pursing your lips. "This girl I like, I recently found out she's the Queen. Her husband is a...bad man, and now she's pregnant with his baby. It's not fair to her. Or me, for that matter, because I know that she-"

You stop when your ears pick up the ruffling of leaves, and you quietly untie Charming as you hop on his back, trotting off in the direction of the noise.

You hear it again, this time louder, and grab your sword out of its sheath on your side as you spur Charming on, getting closer and closer to the sound.

You narrow your eyes as you spur him further and further, and suddenly, you hear a scream and a loud thud as someone falls to the ground.

You hop down and flip the woman over, straddling her hips as you bring your sword up to her neck.

"Who are y-" You stop when you realize you're suddenly staring into the scared orbs of one Regina Mills.

"I'm not here to cause harm," she pleads, "Please, don't hurt me." You slowly get off of her and re-sheath your sword, reaching out a hand to her.

She gladly accepts it and stands up, brushing off her dirty dress.

"Who are you?" She asks. You furrow your eyebrows. Does she really not remember you?

And then you realize that you have the hood of your cloak over your face, and the only thing visible to the Queen is your mouth.

"My apologizes, Queen," you say, bowing before standing up straight.

"You know who I am." She sounds dejected, disappointed.

"Doesn't everyone?" You ask curiously.

"I was hoping you wouldn't," she frowns. "Were you at Town Square today?"

"Everyone in the village was," you point out.

"So you know." You nod.

"Why are you out here?" You ask.

"I wanted to get away from the castle for a little while. It's...hectic there." She looks around, taking in your surroundings before looking at you again. "I came out here to be safe."

You smirk as you lean closer to her, and she stares at your lips as you say "Oh, but the woods aren't safe, M'lady."

She furrows her eyebrows, studying your smirk before looking at where she guesses your eyes are.

"Then why are you out here?" She asks.

"Because I live out here." Her eyes widen.

"Out _here_? But don't you have a family in the village?"

Your jaw clenches and you say through gritted teeth, "No." You pause. "I have no one."

Regina's face suddenly softens, and you don't know if it's because the pain is evident in your tone, or if she's frightened by you.

"Take me to your home."

"What?" You suddenly snap out of your own self-pity to glare at her, although she can't see you.

"If it's not safe here, protect me."

"No," you say, "you're not my responsibility." You hoist yourself up onto Charming, and she looks up at you with fear in her eyes.

"Go back home, Madame." And then you ride off, leaving her in the dust.

"You can't leave me here!" She yells after you, and the terror in her voice is evident. You pull back on the reins and Charming rears up on his hind legs, neighing. You sense her fear although you can't see her, and you sit there for a while, letting the fear build. And then you huff, turning Charming around and charging towards her.

Her eyes widen as you near her and you grab onto the collar of her dress, pulling her up into the back of Charming's saddle and she wraps her arms around your waist as you ride off towards your cabin.

* * *

"Why do you live here?" Regina asks as she sits down on the couch, sipping a glass of whiskey you handed her. You're glad that you cleaned up the mess from earlier before leaving to go for a ride.

"What?" You ask as you sit in a chair across from her.

"Why do you live in the woods, secluded from everyone else?"

You shrug. "Like I said, I have no one. So there's really no reason for me to live in town," you lie. It's become easier than you expected.

"You don't have any family...friends?"

"Nope," you reply, nonchalantly, taking a large gulp of your whiskey. "So why are you here?"

"I couldn't stay cooped up in the castle for 9 months," Regina explains, sipping her whiskey. "Leopold wanted me to stay inside because of the pregnancy, and I think I'd go insane. But, I can't really do anything about it...so, I just came to get some fresh air before I'm locked away for most of a year."

You frown. "Why can't you do anything about it?"

She sniffles. "Never mind."

"No, tell me," you insist.

"No, I- I can't," she frowns, looking down at her hands, which she is wringing nervously. She's spinning the ring on her finger, and you realize this must be a nervous habit.

"I already made the mistake of telling a complete stranger about everything the other night. I can't make that mistake again."

"A stranger?" You ask, gulping.

"Yes. I don't even know her name, but she's so..." She trails off, and you lean over and rest your elbows on your knees, setting your class on the coffee table.

"Go on, tell me. I can keep a secret." You smile tightly, seeing as it's the only thing she can see (you still have your hood on), and she sighs heavily.

"She kissed me," Regina admits. "She kissed me, several times, and I..."

"Did you like it?" You ask.

She nods. "So much it scared me. I've never felt that way about anyone, not even..." She trailed off, and sniffled again. "I want to see her again, but I don't know anything about her. I don't even know her name.

"I was so extremely turned on by her, and she was gentle and rough at the same time. She was perfect. I just wish I could see her again, and kiss her again, and..." She bites her bottom lip, stopping herself.

"You want to be with her." It's not a question.

She nods. "Yeah." Tears well up in her eyes. "Yeah, I do. Very much so. I don't know a single thing about her, other than she's perfect, and sweet, and sincere, and an amazing kisser, and surreal, and-" She's cut off when you're suddenly surging forwards, capturing her lips with yours.

She gasps sharply as you bring your hands up to cup her face and brush your thumbs across her cheek bones. You pull away and sit on the coffee table in front of her, trying to catch your breath.

"And she's right in front of me," Regina whispers, hurt and recognition flooding her face.

"You're the girl from the other night."

You nod slowly, and Regina hesitantly leans forwards, pulling the hood off of your head. You let it fall on your shoulders and stare into her eyes.

You see the fierceness and intensity in them, matching the arousal and anger in your own.

"Who _are_ you?" She asks, and suddenly it feels like déjà vu.

But this time...this time, you give her a different answer.

"Emma." You pause, exhaling deeply. "Emma Swan."

* * *

**I forgot to thank you for all of the follows and favorites.**

**I would love for you to leave reviews. They always make my heart smile. **


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